Matthew Rhyshttp://www.adweek.com/taxonomy/term/12828/all
enFX Networks, MillerCoors in 3-Year Partnership Dealhttp://www.adweek.com/news/television/fx-networks-millercoors-3-year-partnership-deal-157202
Anthony Crupi<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/news_article/fargo_0.jpeg"> <p>
The next time the Soviet spies Elizabeth and Philip Jennings tuck into a tin of caviar on the FX drama <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/television/sleeper-agent-146446" target="_blank">The Americans</a>, the comely commies will likely wash down the delicacy with the Champagne of Beers.&nbsp;</p>
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FX Networks announced today it signed a game-changing three-year deal that establishes MillerCoors as the official beer purveyor of FX, FXX and FXM. While financials were not disclosed, the terms of the pact give MillerCoors category exclusivity on any program integrations, as well as first-look placement rights on FX programs in development.</p>
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On the integration side, fans of The Americans should keep their eyes peeled for some period-relevant Miller High Life and Miller Lite placement in the show, which is set in Washington, D.C. during the height of the Cold War. The <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/television/fx-will-renew-americans-156902" target="_blank">recently-renewed drama</a> stars Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys as the dead sexy comrades in arms.</p>
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MillerCoors brands also will appear in upcoming episodes of the new FX series <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/television/fargo-earns-solid-sampling-debut-157069" target="_blank">Fargo</a> (Miller Lite and the craft beer Leinenkugel&rsquo;s) and Coors Light and Blue Moon will pop up throughout the upcoming Guillermo del Toro horror epic, <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/television/fx-edgiest-and-most-prolific-drama-producer-ad-supported-tv-156028" target="_blank">The Strain</a>.</p>
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&ldquo;FX Networks has enjoyed a wonderful partnership with MillerCoors for many years, most notably through their exclusive category placements in Sons of Anarchy and It&rsquo;s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,&rdquo; said Michael Brochstein, svp of advertising sales, FX Networks. &ldquo;This new agreement is the most comprehensive advertising deal ever for the FX suite of channels.&rdquo;</p>
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Brochstein added that the deal extends to opportunities in and around the new FX digital app, <a href="http://www.fxnetworks.com/fxnow" target="_blank">FXNOW</a>.&nbsp;Behind-the-scenes footage culled from the FX stable of hits also will be made available via MillerCoors&rsquo; various social-media channels.</p>
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While duration of the deal makes it a rarity for a general entertainment network&mdash;multiyear pacts are typically reserved for major sports franchises&mdash;the consistency and reach of FX&rsquo;s original programming makes it a true must-buy for brands looking to connect with younger, more affluent viewers.&nbsp;</p>
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&ldquo;Beer is all about the conversations that happen between friends, and so our objective is to make sure our brands are woven throughout the entertainment programming that matters most to beer drinkers,&rdquo; said Jackie Woodward, vp of marketing connections at <a href="http://www.millercoors.com" target="_blank">MillerCoors</a>. &ldquo;The programming on FX networks holds strong appeal to our consumers, especially men ages 21-to-35, and with our portfolio of great beers, we have the brand for any occasion. This partnership underscores our commitment to telling our brand stories with the right message, in the right places and at the right time.&rdquo;</p>
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The deal arrives at a particularly charged moment for FX, which is rolling out its most ambitious slate of original series in its 21-year history. (It&rsquo;s also a nice shot in the arm for the network&rsquo;s ad sales team, which is prepping for another lucrative upfront outing. Per&nbsp;Fox Cable Networks president Lou LaTorre, cable ad sales volume should grow 5 percent in the 2014-15 bazaar, for an increase of around $500 million. The top-tier cable nets should see CPM increases in the 7 percent to 8 percent range.)</p>
TelevisionBlue MoonCablecoors lightFargoFox Cable NetworksAnthony CrupiFX NetworksFXMFXNOWFXXGuillermo del ToroIt’s Always Sunny in PhiladelphiaJackie WoodwardKeri RussellLou LaTorreMatthew RhysMichael BrochsteinMiller High LifeMiller LiteMillerCoorsRatingsSons of AnarchyThe AmericansThe StrainWed, 23 Apr 2014 18:00:16 +0000157202 at http://www.adweek.comFX Says 'Da' to a Second Season of The Americanshttp://www.adweek.com/news/television/fx-says-da-second-season-americans-147457
Anthony Crupi<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/news_article/the-americans-kerri-russell-hed-2013.jpg"> <p>
Four weeks into its primary run, FX&rsquo;s &lsquo;80s spy drama <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/theamericansfx" target="_blank">The Americans</a> is getting its visa renewed for another season.</p>
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FX on Thursday confirmed that it has picked up the show for a 13-episode second season. In the meantime, nine new episodes remain in the current order, with the season finale slated for Wednesday, May 1. (That&rsquo;s<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Workers'_Day" target="_blank"> May Day</a> to you, comrade.)</p>
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&ldquo;<a href="http://vod.fxnetworks.com/watch/theamericans" target="_blank">The Americans</a> has quickly established itself as a key part of our acclaimed drama lineup,&rdquo; said John Landgraf, president and gm of FX, by way of announcing the renewal. &ldquo;The show is truly worthy of its widespread critical acclaim, and we are confident that its quality will continue to yield a robust and passionate audience.&rdquo;</p>
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This is a particularly early renewal for an FX series, as Landgraf tends to hedge his bets on a yea or nay decision until he&rsquo;s had a chance to analyze several weeks of Nielsen ratings data. But the available data arguably made a pickup a mere formality.</p>
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Executive produced by a collective that includes former CIA agent and author Joe Weisberg and Justified creator Graham Yost,<a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/television/americans-bows-32-million-viewers-146930" target="_blank"> The Americans bowed Jan. 31 to 3.22 million viewers</a> and a 1.2 in the 18-49 demo. The premiere strafed the cable competition and topped ABC in the 10 p.m. time slot, as a repeat of Nashville delivered a 0.9 in the dollar demo.</p>
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Because FX guarantees against a four-run cume, it&rsquo;s worth factoring in the encore numbers as well. All told, the four initial telecasts served up 5.49 million viewers.</p>
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When viewed through the live-plus-three-day lens, the first three weeks of The Americans is averaging 3.63 million viewers, of which more than half (52 percent) were members of the dollar demo. Meanwhile, last night&rsquo;s 10 p.m. installment averaged 1.91 million viewers and a 0.8 in the demo, per live-plus-same-day data.</p>
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The Americans stars <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/television/sleeper-agent-146446" target="_blank">Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys</a> as two active KGB spies posing as a married couple in suburban Washington, D.C. Set in 1981, the action within the show coincides with the opening months of the first <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/ronaldreagan" target="_blank">Reagan</a> administration. The series is shot in Brooklyn, N.Y.</p>
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&ldquo;I live in Brooklyn, just a few blocks from here,&rdquo; Russell told Adweek during a break from taping The Americans&rsquo; fourth episode. &ldquo;I mean, I ride my bike to work, so actually, that&rsquo;s a plus. I have a kindergartner now, and I thought, &lsquo;You know, I can work here, work close to home, be done by this amount of time&hellip;&rsquo; It made a really interesting project even more of a draw for me.&rdquo;</p>
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The renewal comes in the midst of a particularly choppy broadcast run. Seven weeks into midseason, two new network series have been canceled after failing to deliver (<a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/television/cbs-pink-slips-job-147380" target="_blank">CBS&rsquo; The Job</a> and NBC&rsquo;s Do No Harm), while a string of others are in danger. Last Thursday, the ABC drama Zero Hour premiered to just 6.38 million viewers and a 1.4 rating, while the CW&rsquo;s Cult eked out just 860,000 viewers and a 0.2 in the network&rsquo;s target demo (adults 18-34).</p>
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Thus far, the only successful midseason broadcast effort is Fox&rsquo;s The Following. After premiering Jan. 21 to 10.4 million viewers and a 3.2 in the demo, the <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/television/fox-carves-big-ratings-following-146701" target="_blank">blood-spattered procedural</a> is holding up its end of the bargain on Monday nights, most recently delivering 8.39 million viewers and a 2.9.&nbsp;</p>
Television2012-13 TV SeasonAbcCableCbsCultAnthony CrupiFoxFXFX NetworksGraham YostJohn LandgrafKeri RussellMatthew RhysNbcNetworksRatingsThe AmericansThe CWThe FollowingThe JobZero HourThu, 21 Feb 2013 23:34:14 +0000147457 at http://www.adweek.comThe Americans Bows to 3.2 Million Viewershttp://www.adweek.com/news/television/americans-bows-32-million-viewers-146930
Anthony Crupi<p>
FX is breaking out the водка and икра&mdash;that&rsquo;s &ldquo;vodka&rdquo; and &ldquo;caviar&rdquo; to you, Yankee Imperialist Dog&mdash;as the series premiere of its Cold War espionage thriller <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/television/sleeper-agent-146446" target="_blank"><em>The Americans</em></a> drew big numbers Wednesday night.</p>
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Per Nielsen live-plus-same-day ratings data, the 97-minute opener averaged 3.22 million total viewers, of which nearly half (49 percent, or 1.57 million) were members of the adults 18-49 set. Leading out of the &nbsp;commercial TV premiere of the 2010 Tom Cruise-Cameron Diaz action comedy&nbsp;<em>Knight and Day</em>,<em> <a href="http://vod.fxnetworks.com/watch/theamericans" target="_blank">The Americans</a> </em>delivered a 1.2 in the dollar demo,&nbsp;an improvement of 50 percent versus the movie&rsquo;s 0.8 rating.</p>
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Because FX guarantees against a four-run cume, it&rsquo;s instructive to look at the encore numbers as well.&nbsp;The first repeat (11:38 p.m.-1:14 p.m. EST) delivered 1.01 million viewers and 643,000 adults 18-49, while the final encore posted 470,000 viewers and 319,000 representatives of the under-50 club.&nbsp;All told, the three telecasts served up 4.7 million viewers and 2.53 million adults 18-49. A fourth and final encore will air on Tuesday, Feb. 6 at 11 p.m.</p>
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A few weeks ago, as filming began on the <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-207_162-57566741/the-americans-what-critics-are-saying-about-new-fx-spy-series/" target="_blank">critically-acclaimed</a> series&rsquo; fourth episode, FX president and general manager John Landgraf said that while he had high hopes for the premiere, he never makes a decision on a renewal until many weeks of data are in.</p>
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&ldquo;Your audience doesn&rsquo;t stabilize until you&rsquo;re seven, eight, nine weeks in, so you can&rsquo;t draw any sweeping conclusions from the early results,&rdquo; Landgraf said. And while the first night looks like a winner&mdash;the premiere out-delivered the premiere of FX&rsquo;s <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news-gallery/television/top-10-time-shifted-tv-shows-2012-146040#american-horror-story-10" target="_blank"><em>American Horror Story: Asylum</em></a> and put up bigger demos than the debut of <em>Sons of Anarchy</em>&mdash;the full picture won&rsquo;t slide into view until the time-shifted data is generated by Nielsen.</p>
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&ldquo;About half of all viewing of our original series happens live, and that&rsquo;s inclusive of the primary airings plus the encores,&rdquo; Landgraf said. &ldquo;But when you factor in the DVR and online streaming and video-on-demand, the first-run episode accounts for just 30 percent of the show&rsquo;s overall deliveries.&rdquo;</p>
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That being said, the pilot&rsquo;s&nbsp;live-plus-same-day delivery was no slouch, beating broadcaster ABC in head-to-head competition. A repeat of the country-fried drama <em>Nashville</em> averaged 3.01 million viewers and a 0.9 rating in the 10 p.m. time slot.&nbsp;</p>
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The success of <em>The Americans</em> comes as&nbsp;FX celebrates the highest-rated month in its 18-year history. In January, prime time deliveries soared 24 percent to 1.26 million viewers per night, while the dollar demo jumped 36 percent to 1.01 million. The network also recorded all-time monthly highs for males 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54.</p>
TelevisionAbcAmerican Horror Story: AsylumCableCameron DiazFXAnthony CrupiKeri RussellKnight and DayMatthew RhysNashvilleNetworksRatingsSons of AnarchyThe AmericansTom CruiseFri, 01 Feb 2013 00:01:40 +0000146930 at http://www.adweek.com